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I can not believe it's already here. But we did it! It was touch and go there at the end but we put the last bits of trim up and second coats of paint so I could start my mural. I knew the mural would be a focal point and the star (hoping) if I could get it finished. I was so anxious to get it started because I had it in mind to do since my Kitchen One Room Challenge in 2019. If you were here then you know about the hand painted wallpaper for my dining room walls that I free hand painted, without a plan or idea of how to scale it but I just went for it. That was back in 2016 and I had only been painting less than two years. At that time every painting was a new experiment and was a "just see what happens" opportunity. Here is a picture of one of the four walls that were painted.
We tore down this wall to open up the space to turn our 10x10 kitchen into a 450 square foot Kitchen and Dining. When I filmed and shared on Instagram (all this is saved in my highlights for ORC Kitchen) tearing down this wall I was overwhelmed with all sad comments , "how could I" and "can you save it?". Well, it could not be saved and to be honest I was not that sentimental about it since I knew I would do it again.... AND..... I DID!!!
Chinoiserie has been a long time love of mine and have coveted brands like DeGournay , Coordonne and Gracie Studio with their hand painted on silk wallpapers that have all been inspired and use the techniques used by 18th Century Chinese Chinoiserie. So I knew that was the route I would be taking and then when the "Blue Collection" inspired by this bathroom turned to birds I knew exactly what I wanted to do.
I loved the idea of the image being painted outside the frame or box... seems to have a lot of meaning for the way I go about design , painting and life in general, haha. So I liked that it had a story. As I am typing this and looking at the above image I can not help but be proud of the growth I have seen in my painting. I am still impatient and work fast (this mural took a total of one whole day) but I have learned to go slower with details that matter. I appreciate the time to get it right and my skill level has allowed me to know when something needs more or needs less. My love of birds has become a great obsession.
The faucet for the tub was also a key to this design. It was handmade in Morocco and I will be doing another follow up blog post all about that. The love behind this feature is very sentimental and holds a special place for me. I wanted this bathroom to not just be about the things I bought for the bathroom but to have things that were meaningful. Every time I look at so many elements of this design and it's features I have a memory of something that only my husband and I hold. Again, I will get into all the details on my next blog post "A love letter to Morocco".
The vanity was a big purchase and although I would have loved to have found a beautiful vintage piece that I could turn into a double vanity I had to be reasonable with my husbands time not to mention patience. Many of my "big ideas" amounted to my husband figuring out how it would work, making it happen and using up time he was not expecting because things were never cookie cutter simple. Sorry hubby. So I opted for something new....and blue. I searched everywhere for one that did not look like it was builder grade and I could not fit custom in our budget. So I kept coming back to the 72 in Vanity from Birch Lane. The color is perfect and I even don't mind the knobs which is a huge shocker because I love going to House of Vintage Hardware for all my accessories.
If you notice in the vanity picture the mother of pearl push button switch with Victorian unlacquered brass cover from House of Vintage Hardware I bought them for all the light switches in the bathroom and closet and I may be converting the rest of my house ( will tell husband later). The French vintage sconces are from a small business seller OGoodie Shop on Etsy located in Holland and they are exactly what I envisioned here and I adore them. Every time I turn them on and the glass crystals dance and shine, I shine too!
I also love the brass faucets from the same hand made brass shop in Morocco.
The trim I spoke of on Week 7 are still the one thing that makes me smile so much. I feel special. Many have been asked for the source for these and I found one on Etsy that makes hand carved appliques of all kinds. You should definitely try these and be tres chic.
All in all I want to thank Linda Weinstein for hosting and creating the One Room Challenge and for Better Homes and Gardens for sponsoring. It is such an exciting interior design event showcasing 20 Designers and hundreds of Guest Participants. I am so thrilled I was able to be successful in completing this challenge and sharing each step with you. I also want to tearfully thank all of you who commented so beautifully on my reveal post and for sharing it with so many on Instagram. It means so much to put your heart out on tile and get it swept up and applauded. I hope to be able to do another challenge again soon. My creative design juices are flowing and dang it if I don't want to do another mural!!!
Congratulations to all the participants who wrapped up their projects and to those still needing time.. no worries....its all a work in progress. xo Mel
Here are some Before and After:
Until next time!!!
